Chapter 98 CH 89: BETRAYAL?

"Sol, you are a half-dragon right?"

"... Indeed. So? Are you going to kill me to get my core?"

"Oh, ~!? You are surprisingly calm. Do you think I would not hurt you? No, from your reaction you are clearly wary of me. Then, do you think you can beat me? Ah~! Even though you don't really believe so you don't think you would lose either. I really wonder what kind of skills you obtained during your awakening."

The duchess continued to ask and answer to her own questions.

The binding surrounding him slowly came apart before completely vanishing.

"Arachne's thread. This is how this weapon of mine is called. It's a gift from the goddess after I showed my overwhelming talent. From what she told me. There was once a woman who went by the same name and whose skills could only be defined as godly. This thread was created by her. They are close to indestructible."

This information startled Sol. But he wasn't too surprised. If as he thought all the previous kings of Lustburg were earthlings, there was no way that such a coincidence could happen without a meddling hand behind it.

"This is interesting and all, but should I mention that imprisoning the prince of the kingdom, even shortly, is a crime?"

While he talked, his blue eyes turned gold.

"Say, duchess, are you perhaps underestimating me?"

Aura of power began to emanate from his whole body. He was well and truly pissed.

The reason why she acted this way didn't matter.

The fact that he could have escaped any time he wanted didn't matter.

At the end of the day, the sole truth was clear, she had assaulted him.

<<Intent>> "I suppose that Gerald was given a similar proposal."Th.ê most uptodate novels are published on n(0)velbj)n(.)co/m

All the energy he was amassing immediately vanished.

"What!?"

The duchess was as calm as ever.

"I believe that you heard me quite clearly the first time."

Sol's eyes showed pure disbelief.

He had been somewhat prepared, but deep in his heart, he always harbored the hope that everything was a mistake and that his uncle wouldn't betray him. Clinging on a vain hope, he asked,

"What makes you say that? Since when did you know or suspected?"

Arachne examined his expression. She could see how hurt he was at her revelation. Still, she needed to continue,

"I don't know all the details, but Gerald has a granddaughter. A very cherished girl, she was also the most likely candidate to become a Holy daughter since she was blessed. But out of nowhere, she suddenly vanished."

"I already know that, and so?"

"Heh, then, did you know? In his estate, there's two of my sculptures. No one outside of my companion during the war knows that I can share sight and hearing with the things I create. This is why I know. His granddaughter didn't vanish. I don't know why, but she is currently in a very deep sleep and she is growing weaker by the day."

"Once again, and so? This isn't enough to be suspicious of him."

"That's of course, see, after I received the invitation from those heretics, I immediately began to suspect people around me. This is when I saw it. It was just a glimpse, and I never saw her again, but I can't be wrong. He met a witch... A red-clothed witch...The same witch who proposed a way to resurrect Mars."

The hope in Sol's eyes dimmed considerably. He felt as if a stake was pierced in his heart.

Of course, this was just the duchess assumption.

Perhaps, like her, he only accepted outwardly while in reality, he was still loyal.

Perhaps, the way to save his granddaughter didn't need a core.

Perhaps, Milaris was truly a traitor and she was just misleading him.

Perhaps...

'Get a grip!'

After all, how could he be reliable if he crumbled down at the slightest bad news?

Pushing down his worries, he gave a large smile at Setsuna and gently petted her head.

'Tomorrow at the shortest and in two days at the latest. Everything will come to light.'

Now, getting the allegiance of Milaris was the most pressing. Everything else could wait.

----

[In the tower of babel]

Milia was nursing a headache while sitting down in her office. It wasn't particularly comfy and was nearly devoid of any decorations.

The only exceptions were one large table and three chairs around it.

Thanks to the message system they developed, she already got the information about Gerald and Arachne from Ketia.

'This was truly an oversight of my part.'

Even though the crown's shadow was a powerful organization deeply entrenched in Lustburg, they weren't omniscient. Still, not knowing that a witch entered their domain and that said witch enticed someone extremely close to the prince they needed to protect was a great mistake.

'I should have pushed to know more about Gerald.'

Because of Gerald's past as a loyal general and his close relationship with the royal family, he was one of the least suspicious people in the kingdom.

What's more, he had never overstepped his bound and never fought for power. Even during the time of the Puppet king, he disregarded the rule of neutrality the Highland were known for and taught many things to both Mars and Lilith.

'I can't even imagine how bad Sol must feel right now.'

Just imagining his sadness made her feel like she was about to die. She wished for nothing more than to simply rush to the Milaris mansion and hug him tightly against her chest.

She wanted to comfort him, to make him forget all his problems. To bring him happiness and make his sunny smile never wane.

"So, why did you bring me here?"

Glaring at the source of the voice that broke her thoughts and was another reason for her headaches, she answered,

"I thought you were trained as a maid?"

She couldn't help but cringe when she thought about what happened.

After Sol decided to pass time with Lilin and Setsuna, she brought Nuwa to the maid quarters and decided to give her a little trial to gauge her skills...The result was catastrophic.

Three antique vases broken, one famous painting destroyed, and a few grimoires now completely unreadable.

Even though Milia wasn't particularly attracted by money and the like, just thinking about how each of those inestimable objects were lost forever made her feel like she was going insane.

Nuwa, tilted her head, a questioning light in her eyes, "Did I ever say that I was?"

Milia's expression froze.

"You aren't a maid?"

"I am not."

"Then why are you wearing a maid's uniform?"

"Because my previous master thought it suited me."

"Why did you not say that you weren't a maid when I entrusted those tasks to you?"

"Because you didn't ask."

Milia's face altered between red and white. It has been the first time in a long while since she wanted to punch someone so much.

"Then, what can you do?"

She could see Nuwa enter deep in thoughts, then,

"Look cute?"

Her answer once again astonished her.